Eternal as the Wind
by Chesinshi
Summary: A series of one-shot light-hearted drabbles between Nausicaa and Asbel. This is set after the movie, and after they get together... some of my OCs may appear in later stories. Mostly centered on the romance between them.
1. Beaches

**AN: Hi! So excited to be starting this! I'm in the middle of my other Nausicaa fanfic and needed some light-hearted short stories to balance out the dark plot I'm writing in the other one... one-shots are definitely easier to manage than a long term multi chapter fanfic.**

**PS I have a feeling some of my OCs from Travels of the Wind will appear in here later... so if you're bored read that too! My beginning chapters also sets up the romance between the 2, so you'll slide comfortably into this series. :) Thanks for taking the time to check this out, and hope you like it! Review are always appreciated. **

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**When Nausicaa goes to the beach.**

She didn't really know how to enjoy a beach. Grassy fields and toxic jungles she could handle... but a beach? What do you do on a beach, recreationally speaking? The last time she had visited the coast she was rescuing a distressed beetle that had lost its way and managed to terrify a crowd of beachgoers. She couldn't quite understand why you would go to the beach if there was no reason to go... so when Saturday morning Asbel announced he wanted to take a trip to the beach, she was a little surprised. He reasurred her it would be fun; Nausicaa was highly skeptical but agreed anyway. The coast only lay a couple hours east of the Valley so if they hated it, or it turned out to be stormy, Nausicaa reasoned they could always come back and still engage in other activites without wasting the day.

They arrived in the afternoon at a gorgeous beachside, under beautifully mild weather. The sun shone cheerfully but didn't scorch, while a refreshing ocean breeze tugged gently at their clothes. They sat down on the sand for no more than two seconds when Nausicaa glanced around hyperactively.

"What do we do?" She piped up.

"Do?" Asbel returned, a little perplexed.

"We're not supposed to do anything on a beach?" At this Asbel chuckled lightly.

"Must everything involve 'doing' something? Just unwind and relax, I guess." She gave him a flat look for his lame answer.

"You know that's not my forte."

"Which is exactly why I brought you here." She frowned at him but he simply turned to look at the ocean. She followed his example and they spent some time in silence.

Doing nothing turned out to be exceptionally difficult. In a meadow there were at least birds to observe, and the jungle always contained countless insects and plants. At the beach there was... Nothing. Save for a monotonous stretch of sand and water. The atmosphere was lovely of course - for the first five minutes.

She began to dig her fingers into the sand, not sure what to do with herself. Look up and stare at... ocean waves? Each was the same as the last. People? A couple young folks were running around and playing sports, but watching them would be awkward, to say the least. A seagull would have been greatly appreciated.

He looked over at her and laughed.

"You're pathetic." He commented bluntly, though mirth showed in his eyes.

"There's nothing to dooo..." She lamented. After giving her another amused look he scooted closer and stretched an arm around her.

"Don't think; let your mind wander."

"Wandering." She bleated unromantically, but Asbel shushed her. With his hand he gently nudged her head to rest against his shoulder. Physically restrained, Nausicaa used her eyes to make up for the rest of the body's inactivity... _alright so the horizon was tilted now_, she remarked unamusedly to herself.

"Look at the ocean." He hummed quietly. "It's 'doing' plenty, don't you think? You out of all people should be able to appreciate it." He chided. Nausicaa fell silent and reflected on his pithy philosophical comments. The waves gently lapped the shore, creating sustained sounds of rushing water.

Little by little a deep sense of peace settled over her. The previously boring landscape gradually emmitted a sense of agelessness, the repetitive waves heralded of dependability. Monotony transformed into tranquility, while the earth seemed to speak to her of its steadfastness. Sky met the ocean, waves met the shore, sand met her toes, and she met... Asbel.

From that moment on she loved the beach. And of course for a good month the entire Valley remained mystified as to where the couple would disappear to every Saturday.


	2. Tetosaur

**Tetosaur**

"I don't see anything."

"Your eyes haven't adjusted yet." Nausicaa returned. She had dragged Asbel out to see the meteor shower a little after midnight; all week long she had raved to him how this was the best meteor shower of the year and if you were patient enough you might be able a beam of light stream across the sky every minute or two. Asbel was not so sure; after 10 minutes he began to doubt the sanity of the idea in the first place.

"This is crazy. What if we get run over by a wild beast?" She burst out loud laughing.

"What is wrong with you?! You cannot be afraid of the dark?! I thought you liked the nighttime!" She exclaimed unbelievably.

"I do like the nighttime. I am merely afraid of all the possible things that could go wrong." In his defense they had traveled pretty far out into the pitch darkness and he was quite positive they were too far away to be heard in the case of an emergency.

"Relax...Ooh! I think I saw one!" She cried. For a moment he did relax, and he thought he might have seen a shooting star as well. But the joy was abruptly cut short when out of nowhere fangs sunk vindictively into his hand.

"Oww!" He groaned and gasped, totally shocked. "What was that?! An animal bit me!" He cried nervously. The bite diameter was small on his hand but the teeth were incredibly sharp. A wave of panic hit Nausicaa; had she really made a slip in judgement? What if it was poisonous?

"Are you ok?" She asked quickly, more anxious about his safety than her own.

"I think so, it just hurts!"

"Does it burn?" Poison usually felt like acid poured over a wound.

"Burn as in hurt? Yeah." What difference was there between the two?

Both snapped up in terror when the grass rustled around them... It sounded small, and the smallest things were often the deadliest.

"Where is it?" She cried, horrified when the grass rustled over to her free hand. She squirmed to get off the ground when something furry brushed her hand.

"What? A... rat?" She conjectured, but then the fur was longer than a rat's. it nudged her hand and crawled underneath her fingers. Nausicaa repressed the urge to shrink her hand away - this animal recognized her. She gently felt the frame of the creature, and laughed incredulously.

"What?" Asbel demanded, not understanding.

"It's Teto."

"What?!" Asbel shouted in shock. "I got bitten by your pet rat?"

"Fox squirrel." She corrected.

"Well, it's got a nasty bite." He replied, still traumatized.

"I know..." She trailed off. "Let's do some formal introductions."

"What? No." Asbel protested, but she had already lifted the furball towards him.

"Teto, this is Asbel." Then she turned to Asbel, who had shifted a couple inches away. "Don't be rude, reach out your hand." Asbel thought she was ridiculous but obeyed. The animal, which he still hadn't been able to see due to the darkness, hissed at him and he instinctively drew his hand away. Nausicaa brought the creature back towards herself for a personal conversation.

"Teto, this is my friend. He doesn't mean to hurt you, and he definitely doesn't mean to hurt me. He also happens to be the one I love, so you better get used to him." Asbel raised an eyebrow to her strange pep talk. Even stranger was that the fox squirrel seemed to comprehend, and timidly walked up to Asbel. The man reached his hand out to Teto a second time, and this time he felt a petite warm tongue licking his puncture wounds. It tickled to say the least, but he didn't flinch.

"His eyes are a very intimidating shade of green." Asbel remarked, his own eyes having adjusted to the dark. He seemed to barely make out a silhouette of a cute-sized dog-like animal. Gingerly he brought his other hand to stroke the creature, and noted how addictively soft the fur felt under his fingers.

Nausicaa smiled as the two extremely possessive males in her life finally arrived at an understanding. Within a week Teto was eating and sleeping with Asbel like they had known each other for ages.

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**AN: ps anyone else feel like Teto looks like a pokemon? ;p I forgot the name of it...**


	3. Indirect Insomnia

**AN: my inspiration for this comes from the fact that I wrote this at 4am... I forgot how sensitive I am to caffeine and drank tea at dinner. :/**

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**Indirect Insomnia**

She tossed and turned. Closed her eyes, counted slowly to 100... Nothing worked. She couldn't sleep. That was one of the disadvantages to being a very energetic person; sleep sometimes evaded you for no good reason at all. Did she drink any stimulating beverages? No... Oh wait - the one new tea the kitchen brought out for a taste test... It was delicious of course, and Nausicaa ended up drinking a full portion. She'd have to remind Martha to be careful to not give her anything containing stimulants during dinnertime.

She looked at the stars. 4am. The last time she was up this late Asbel had a high fever... She remembered the nightmare as he reached delirium and his temperature still wouldn't drop no matter what the doctors tried... She ended up shooing them off and nursing him back to health herself. Recalling the incident caused her to miss him slightly...

"Oh well, it's not like I'm gonna fall asleep anytime soon." She sighed to herself and slipped out of bed.

She padded silently down a couple hallways to his bedroom. The door creaked slightly and she slipped in as soon as the opening could fit her.

She neared the bed and simply watched him deeply asleep. His breathing was even, his temperature normal... Even if sleep didn't come to her yet, peace did settle in her soul at the sight of him, his chest heaving slightly with every breath.

Her eyes softened, and she leaned over him to lovingly place her lips on his cheek. The boy stirred but didn't wake. She softly touched his messy hair, smiling to herself. Normally he would sleep through just about anything, but for some reason he startled awake at her touch.

"Nausicaa?" He muttered groggily.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She apologized.

"Are you practicing night assassinations?" He snapped, grumpy at the disturbance from his sleep.

"Sorry..." She repeated. From her voice he noticed something was wrong.

"What's the matter?" He inquired.

"I can't sleep." She complained; she hated being an insomniac. He rolled over tiredly.

"C'mon." He grunted, making room for her on the bed. She gracefully slipped next to him.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Everything and nothing." She replied, then looked at him strangely. "Go back to sleep, I'll be fine here."

"I'm not sleeping until you do." He argued, and she sent him a grateful look. She settled in comfortably closer to him, his arms holding her snugly. He began to play with her hair; it always worked magically when she couldn't sleep. Tonight it took longer than normal, but eventually she drifted happily into sleep.

Asbel sighed and leaned down into the bed. The poor girl was gifted and talented in so many ways, so of course Mother Nature had to be fair and take away something... That something was often sleep.

But for some odd reason, tonight she managed to pass the insomnia to him. Oh well...

4,5,6,7,8... Sunrise...

At 9am a bright eyed, perky Nausicaa emerged out of Asbel's bedroom. Trailing behind her was a very bleary eyed Asbel.

Yupa stopped in his tracks at the sight of Asbel's bloodshot eyes. He asked the boy why he couldn't sleep last night.

Asbel said the new drink last night gave him insomnia.

Yupa paused again: "But you didn't try it."

"Indirect insomnia." Asbel corrected and grumpily continued his day.


	4. stubborn Zipper

**AN: Uh, ok so this is a little more adult themed... I write weird things in the wee hours of the morning...this is probably the extent of my 'mature' content. Though these days you young kids are hardened to just about anything... Read at your own discretion and stop if you're uncomfortable! **

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**Stubborn zippers**

"There's a new in-law of mine coming tonight that I haven't met." Nausicaa remarked casually to Asbel, who was sitting patiently on the other side of her bedroom. She was almost done getting dressed for a dinner party at the Valley when Asbel came to pick her up and escort her. Honestly Nausicaa could probably make it down the flight of stairs to the dining room blindfolded and handcuffed, but formalities were formalities. Yupa said it was important to meet guests as a couple.

"You didn't attend the wedding?" Asbel asked, continuing the conversation.

"No, I think I was in the middle of a jungle expedition at the time." She answered, pulling at the unusually stubborn zipper at the back of her dress. Asbel looked up when she uttered a frustrated grunt.

"It's stuck." She muttered. The zipper still wouldn't budge though she was tugging rather forcefully.

"Need some help?" He asked good naturedly, already getting up from his seat and walking towards her.

"Yes please." She replied, gathering her hair up for him. He came from behind her and began pulling; folds of fabric were caught deep in the mechanism. With a grunt he pulled much harder and the zipper freed itself, sliding a good seven or eight inches farther down her back. She chuckled lightly.

"Up, not down." She teased him, but he was currently distracted by the newly exposed skin. She fell silent when she felt his fingers trailing lightly across her back, and her skin tingled where his fingertips touched. Her heart rate accelerated and she shuddered when he gently placed his lips at the base of her neck. She quickly turned around and smiled up into his face: his hazel eyes danced lively, as though a fire seemed to have sparked deep within.

"Save it for later." She whispered, bringing both her hands to hold his face.

Strong hands slipped around her and he leaned in to press his lips against hers. Nausicaa was reveling in the sensation when she felt the zipper slide up and back into its correct position.

For a few seconds more the embrace deepened as his arms wound tightly around her and she snaked her hands around his neck. By the time they finished both were breathless - and a couple minutes late.

"What took you so long?" Nausicaa's best friend Tersa asked when the couple reached the hallway.

"The zipper." The Princess replied suppressing a mischievous smile.

"Uh huh..." The short haired girl returned unconvinced, sending Asbel a sharp glare.

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**AN: I didn't go overboard I hope? Let me know and I'll tone it down. **


	5. In Remembrance

She was feeling abnormally pensive that day. Terrible thoughts had been nagging her since the morning; it first began when she looked at the tapestry in her room and thought of her father. She missed him very much: his wisdom in ruling, strict but kind ways when teaching her valuable lessons, honest character in dealing with foreign countries, care for his people, and unfailing courage up till the moment of his death.

A very terrible loneliness took hold of her soul, as she thought about the people that she had lived to see die. There was her mother, the villagers that fought against the Tolmekians, the infants who were too weak to survive the harsh environment, her siblings that never made it to adulthood, delicate Lastelle, innocent others in Pejite, the Tolmekian soldiers that were simply following orders. People she knew, people she didn't know... these were terrible times that made the mere act of breathing air cruelly difficult.

She wasn't sure where to go with these depressing thoughts of hers, so she retreated to the cemetery, unsurprisingly. Negativity could spread like a poison, travel through a town at the speed of floating spores - so she dare not encounter fellow villagers while she was in such a state. She knew she'd overcome the feeling eventually, but sometimes it was beneficial to take a moment to grieve for those that had passed on. As a result, she allowed herself to remain momentarily under the somber spell, within her own little bout of melancholy, as part of her healing process.

She found herself at peace in the graveyard, reunited with old friends she dearly missed. These were people she remembered working with, villagers she had cared for, individuals she had comforted when they were on their death beds. She smiled softly at the tombstones, bidding each person a silent greeting as she passed their name. Then she came across those that had died during the war - people whose lives had ended abruptly, when they were nowhere near old age. Those cases were the memories that brought the most pain into her heart. They were normal villagers, happy people living on average subsistence, with beautiful homes and hearty laughs, warm personalities, spouses and children. So many wonderful people - and none of them deserved to die.

"Why are we still alive?" She thought out loud.

_Why am I still alive?_ Was the real question she dared not speak. She knew the answer to that: she was a fighter. A firm believer in life, survival, prosperity. Yet how did she manage to still be lingering on this earth? She had willingly died once, after which the ohms had resurrected her... and she couldn't help wondering: why she was given a second chance? Why did fate bequeath her with a new life force, when it could have been used to spare another person from their first, and only death?

"Because your people need you." Said a voice behind her. She whipped around quickly, though she already knew who it was. Only Asbel could predict her eclectic ways, understand her mood, pinpoint her exact location. His voice was solemn yet reassuring, present but not oppressive, as he noticed her current introverted state. She had recognized his warm presence from the first moment he uttered a sound. She remained silent, absorbing the tranquil atmosphere, standing on the cemetery hill and overlooking the valley. The sun cast a gentle afternoon glow over the valley, while the breeze played soothingly with her hair.

"Because you have an incredible strength, compassion for all living things." He hovered near her but did not intrude. These were facts she needed reminders of.

"And because I need you." He finally stated softly, coming to stand behind her. At this time she felt him carefully place a hand on her arm, respecting her privacy and personal space, but still standing close by to support her both physically and emotionally.

A faint ghost of a smile appeared on her lips and she contentedly placed her hand over his... he had a remarkable sensitivity to her emotional state; and she honestly would never tolerate the presence of any other person when she harbored complex sentiments and thoughts.

"We need to make this life good, for their sakes." She pronounced. "Live out what they couldn't. Do the things they never had a chance to." Asbel smiled affectionately at her action items, tenderly closed his arms around her from behind, and leaned in to leave a light kiss on her cheek.

"And we will." He murmured. In silence they watched the sun depart beyond the valley, then hand-in-hand walked back to the castle for a calm, undisturbed evening together. That night a comfortable, relieving sense of peace settled deeply in her, grounding her to life. From her core radiated a newfound urgency to live each day to the fullest.

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**AN: Hmm this one was a little depressing... I finished reading the synopsis for the manga and realized how terrible her life was... I would expect someone who's lived through as many things as she did to be hardened by the difficulties of life, as people often come out different after enduring wars and hardships. Just musings of mine that I wrote while putting myself in her shoes, and feeling a little down. Hope you liked it! Happier ones are coming soon.**


	6. Taste Test

**AN: haha I giggled all the way through writing this lol... hope you like it.**

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** Taste Test**

"I didn't know you liked baking." Asbel commented from his seat.

"I don't; I'm just doing it because the cooks made the procedure sound terribly difficult, so I wanted to try it - as a challenge to myself." Asbel chuckled at her explanation; only she had the energy to randomly do something for the difficulty of it. She was of course referring to a baking "experiment" from earlier in the day: making Pahklisev. Pahklisev was a sort of cookie-pastry, mildy sweet and made only in the Valley; the highest quality creations would be marked by a light, airy outer crust, smooth but not soggy inner layers, and a tart filling of berries and fruits that pervaded (but did not overpower) your palette... It was an art that could easily take years to master. But Nausicaa was the type of person to try it anyway, just to see if she might actually possess some aptitude for it.

It turned out to be quite an enjoyable and rewarding experiment - for when did lab procedures and scientific experiments ever give you something edible in return? In the kitchen she moved with organization and speed, keeping her work area clean just as she would her lab bench. At the end of the three-hour-long undertaking she had several batches of bite-sized, adorable looking Pahklisevs, sitting on the counter. They weren't professional, but looked decent enough, so she decided to show her results to Asbel. At the moment she sat on the ledge of his chair, one hand cupping several of her baked creations for him to try.

"Close your eyes, so you depend only on taste." He frowned at her request, but obligued.

"Here's the first one." She spoke as she carefully popped the pastry into his mouth. With a smile she watched him happily devour her handiwork.

"Good?" She piped up after he had time to analyze the textures and flavors. He tilted his head, trying to compare her Pahklisevs to the ones he had tasted from the kitchen. It was pretty darn similar, but certain elements were missing...

"Not bad." He declared.

"I agree it's not the best, so I made a second batch." She announced, holding another in her fingers while Asbel shut his eyes again in preparation for another sample. In the second attempt she had tweaked some of the proportions of fruit to flour, amongst other things. The cookie had a delightful crunch, and Asbel savored the floral notes wafting through his senses long after the confection had been swallowed.

"This one's got more flavor..." And Nausicaa hummed in agreement. Just then an scrumptiously naughty idea popped into her head.

"One last one." She uttered quickly before he could open his eyes, even though her hand was now empty. Instead of giving him another food item however, she smoothly slid her lips over his for a warm kiss that lasted barely more than a second - not long enough to turn into a grossly passionate embrace, but still capable of leaving a sweet, slightly romantic aftertaste hanging in the air. When she drew away she watched the corners of his lips curl up in pleasant surprise. Her hand that had steadied his head now strayed over to brush away slight crumbs from the corner of his mouth, and with a mischevious smile she patiently awaited his verdict. He slid his eyes open to send her a reprimanding look, but Nausicaa could tell he was quite impressed.

"The best." He finally admitted in a throaty voice, while Nausicaa chuckled rather seductively. She was more delighted to hear this comment than the rest of his critiques about her actual pastries.

"Baking's not the only thing I'm good at." She hinted in a tantalizing tone.

"I noticed." He replied, eyeing her lips covetously for a second helping.

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**Please don't judge! Haha these scenes just pop into my head like I'm watching a movie, and then I have to write them out...Cheesy I knoooow. But good fun to write (and read I hope)!**


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